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Industry renews commitment to resource efficient cleaning

Speakers including Unilever CEO Paul Polman and the European Commissioner for the Environment mark anniversary and continued commitment to sustainability.

A.I.S.E., the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance products, yesterday celebrated its 60th anniversary. As part of a conference held in Brussels, a number of high level speakers focused their attention on the theme: “Visions for the future, tackling societal and sustainability challenges”.

At the event gathering more than 170 attendees from industry including Unilever CEO Paul Polman, as well as various suppliers and related stakeholders, A.I.S.E. representatives underlined the key role that proactive pan-European initiatives can have in driving sustainable production and consumption. With more than 190 companies signed up, the A.I.S.E. Charter for Sustainable Cleaning is recognised as a mark of continual commitment from the sector, to drive high sustainability standards throughout the life cycle for the detergent and maintenance products sector. European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik remarked: “We have a major challenge over the next 60 years and well-designed voluntary initiatives can play an important part in delivering resource efficient growth”.

Commenting on the importance of also actively engaging with consumers towards more sustainable consumption patterns, Director General of the European consumers’ organization BEUC, Monique Goyens, added: “Consumers count on the detergent industry to adopt a precautionary and sustainable approach in their innovation policy; we believe that A.I.S.E. can play a crucial role in keeping that objective in mind”.

President of A.I.S.E., Charles-François Gaudefroy, concluded: "Our industry is key to providing people with the fundamental benefits of cleanliness and hygiene. As one of the first European industry associations ever created in Europe, despite an increasingly complex economic and regulatory environment, we have built as a sector over the last 60 years a track record of progress, innovation, and relentless voluntary industry action on sustainability. With the challenges that our society is now facing, I strongly invite all industry members to pursue actively the journey towards more resource efficient and sustainable cleaning in close dialogue with our value chain partners and external stakeholders, for the ultimate benefit of European citizens”.